Are you visiting Renegade? Join our street team!

September 7 & 8, 11-7pm
E-mail angee@spudnikpress.org to volunteer

Help us spread the good word about how fun and easy it is to print at Spudnik Press! We are looking for a few kind folks to come by the studio the week before Renegade to pick up a stack of our spiffy brand new brochures and then distribute throughout the weekend to vendors. Each volunteer will be responsible for visiting about a quarter of the booths to help promote our studio and invite people to print or learn at Spudnik.

Below are some of our recent projects that we have completed through our Publishing Program.

Here at Spudnik we are lucky to work with awesome artists, designers, and businesses to create a large variety of high-quality printed products. Below are a few examples of screen-printed projects, but we also love to work with our clients to produce letterpress, offset, relief, or even lithographic projects based on individual needs.

ARTCRANK Poster by Jenna Stempel

“Bikes are the world’s most fun, accessible way to get around. Posters are the world’s most fun, accessible art form. ARTCRANK™ brings them together.Each ARTCRANK show features the work of 30 or more artists who live and work in the host city. Artists create an original poster design about bikes and what cycling means in their lives, and produce a limited edition of signed and numbered copies to show and sell. ARTCRANK uses creativity to change the way people think about bicycles and grow the cycling community.”

Screen-printed Tote Bags for Meg Onli’s Black Visual Archive website designed by Fivethousand Fingers

“Black Visual Archive (BVA) is dedicated to the documentation and review of contemporary black and post-black visual culture. Founded in 2010 by Meg Onli, BVA is a collection of critical writings that contextualizes the work of African American artists through historical and visual history. Based in Chicago, BVA investigates the city as a unique site for black visual culture with articles, reviews, and interviews that have surveyed the works of Kerry James Marshall and Theaster Gates while also reflecting on the defining archives of Johnson Publishing Company and Numero Group. With a particular interest in how contemporary artists mine the complex history of black representation in America, BVA will continually reflect and link works within their sociocultural constructs.”

For more information on consignment printing through our Publishing Program, please contact Ashlee or Angee at publishing@spudnikpress.org.

Stability Dynamics

New Work by Jeremy Lundquist

Stability Dynamics is a series of etchings produced during the Grant Wood Fellowship at the University of Iowa that directly reproduce, alter and layer fragments of the Joint Chief of Staff’s diagram, “Afghanistan Stability/COIN Dynamics.” The work is a critique of the current military and diplomatic strategy of the U.S. in Afghanistan while examining the futility of diagramming the chaos of war. The process involves printing each section from a single plate as information is built up and then scraped away. Lundquist pulls prints along the away as text and image materialize, linger, and disappear. This technique helps provide viewers the opportunity to consider and question how history and policy is constructed.

Stability Dynamics was installed as part of the 2013 Printers’ Ball: Trip and Return. His work will be on display in the printshop through September 13, 2014. See more of Jeremy Lunquist’s work

Winter/Spring 2014 Class Proposals:
Due September 29, 2013

Through combining broad cultural programming, an educational library, and a vast array of professional classes and resources for printmaking, bookmaking, writing, and publishing, Spudnik Press Cooperative acts as a center for the promotion of, cultural and historical understanding of, production of, and collection of literary and visual arts.

By splitting our focus between idea-based classes and classes that develop physical bookmaking and printing techniques, we seek to provide an environment where writing and visual art is approached as a form of making.

The final class calendar will be determined by many factors including strength of each proposal, and our need to provide a diverse selection of processes, levels of difficulty, and approach. Please download the Proposal Form and Supply Request. We recommend downloading Adobe Acrobat 8 or later to allow you to save our editable PDF.

Please direct any questions to angee@spudnikpress.org

Winter Spring 2014 Class Supplies

Winter Spring 2014 Class Proposal BLANK

This past month Spudnik Press has had the pleasure of working with artist Russ White in recreating a few of his drawings through our Publishing Program.

This project includes a series four screenprinted posters based off a body of work entitled “Small Arms”

On his website, Russ describes his series of drawings:

“The drawings here investigate our fear from different perspectives through several bodies of work: a series of bright, unsettling shooting range targets; a day in the life of a classic police target; and a darkly funny take on the anxiety and anonymity of crowds… the work uses simple constructions to mine complicated themes. Criminals, victims, cartoons, and crowds all play a role here in questioning our societal rage and reminding us not to lose sight of a villain’s humanity.”

These prints as well as many other drawings and prints will be on display at “Peepers“, a show at Humboldt House on August 9th from 6-11.

For more information about our Publishing Program, please contact Ashlee or Angee at publishing@spudnikpress.org

A Community Affair: Exploring Contemporary Art in Chicago

By Hanna Exel

When I set out for a week in Chicago I thought I would be able to leave with a comprehensive, fully formed picture of the city’s contemporary art scene. Instead, I found myself exploring only the tip of a very large iceberg. From a handful of boisterous alternative art spaces to the Brave New Art World gallery crawl to the venerable Museum of Contemporary Art and beyond, I saw a huge range of non-traditional models for producing, exhibiting, and funding contemporary art. I also met with a number of the people whose commitment, enthusiasm, and innovative ideas have helped to make the art scene in Chicago the vibrant network that it is.

My first visit was to Spudnik Press Cooperative on Chicago’s West Side. Angee Lennard launched Spudnik several years ago with weekly studio sessions in her one-bedroom apartment. Now, the co-op inhabits an expansive loft space with a classroom, a gallery, and facilities for screenprinting, intaglio, lithography, and letterpress printmaking. Angee showed me around the space and talked about how and why the cooperative model works at Spudnik. The Press offers a wide range of services to members and non-members alike; they rent studio space, host classes, administer a residency and, of course, offer the use of their printmaking equipment at an affordable rate. Equally important, though, is Spudnik’s function as a hub for members of Chicago’s printmaking community to come together and share skills and knowledge. As any printmaker knows, printmaking works best as a collaborative process; even the most seasoned practitioner can learn new techniques from other printers, or at least benefit from having a pair of clean hands around to pull pristine sheets of paper from the press bed. The importance of a local community coming together to produce and support art would prove to be a recurring theme throughout my time in Chicago.

To read the full article, click here.

Please be informed that there will be no open studio Saturday, July 27 due the event: Printer’s Ball!

Printers Ball
Saturday, July 27
12:00 Noon – 6:00pm
1821 W Hubbard
Chicago, IL 60622

Over the past several years Spudnik Press has become a staple for Chicago printmakers and printmaking education. The space and scope of the project continues to grow with the latest expansion, The Annex.

Here is a sneak of an interview with Luke Daly by Bailey Romaine discussing The Annex and specifically Luke’s involvement.

Luke Daly says:

The library was an important part of thinking about what the Annex could be from the beginning. Mainly I was interested in having a physical home for small press, mostly very small-run and handmade literary books, since they are such an important part of the history of alternative or experimental writing in the US, and because they are so tactile and really need to be seen and held to be appreciated. Of course Chicago has places where similar things are available, like the Read/Write Library or Quimby’s, but the focus of the collection that I was interested in putting together at the start was slightly different in that it sought to foreground small, specifically literary publishing from around the US.

Since I’ve been putting together the collection, my interests have developed in an organic way, and I’m finding myself interested in the intersection that seems to be going on between comics, zine and literary cultures. It seems like those categories are learning from one another, and people are doing work that very interestingly exist at the intersection of those different conversations. I’m finding myself more and more drawn to work of this nature. And always work that looks beautiful but that is made simply, since in the end we are a space that’s built around making, and it’s great to be able to have this collection here to show students or to consult for ideas when getting started on a project.

As for the Book Arts Series, which is the series of exhibitions that I curate at the Annex, my idea to pair gallery shows with the publication of artists’ books started to come together while I was researching people who I thought would work well to show here. I knew that I was interested in work that was operating at the intersections of language work and visual work, but often the work that I was encountering that extended this as it’s main goal or focus never totally hit home for me, and I started to feel that placing work at a crossroads of visual and literary could very well be a slightly more involved and creative curatorial task than just seeking and finding artists whose work, as is, fit with my own conceptual goals of the Annex.

Read the Full Interview

Studio Manager for Spudnik Press: Call for Applications

Applications accepted through 7/31/13

Spudnik Press Cooperative is now accepting applications for a Studio Manager position.

The Studio Manager works closely with the Executive Director to support all programming connected to the use of our physical studios, focusing on maintaining a conducive artistic environment for all that utilize our Spudnik Press Cooperative.

The Studio manager will first and foremost take leadership in maintaining all tools, equipment, and supplies and day-to-day communications with current and potential clients. In order to best maintain and coordinate use of the studio space, the Studio Manager will be the main point of contact for all factions of Spudnik Press, supporting the work of our teaching artists and Artists in Residence, supervising internships, coordinating volunteers, and contributing to our marketing efforts as needed.

To achieve these goals, the Studio Manager will act as registrar for our classes, coordinate all class supplies, orient new members, keyholders, teaching artists, and residents, and lead Member Meetings. General administrative support includes maintaining accurate records of all authorized printers, documentation of our programming, and regular website updates. In time, the Studio Manager may coordinate the Artist in Residency Program and schedule, develop, and lead youth field trips.

To apply:
Please begin by downloading the full job description. Please direct any questions to Megan Klawitter, Development Assistant, megan@spudnikpress.org.

Studio Manager Job Description

Call For Fall Artist In Residence 2013!

About Our Residency Program
Spudnik Press’ Residency Program provides the resources, equipment, and space for one artist per season to develop a body of print-based work. We hope to encourage and enable the production of high quality prints, and to contribute to the development of an emerging Chicago artist.

Spudnik Press will provide the Residents a $250 allowance for project-specific materials and unlimited general supplies (full list is available on our website) and access to the studio. At the conclusion of the residency, Spudnik Press organizes an exhibition of the work created during the 3 month period. This program is open to all experienced printmakers. Spudnik Press does not have the ability to assist with travel and housing, and encourages only Chicago residents to apply. One Residency position is awarded per season.

We aim to provide a residency that is catered to the individual artist. Proposals may be for a traditional edition of prints, artist books, or projects involving a less conventional use of prints. Artists that wish to work collaboratively may apply together.

Download the application for complete details.
Residency Form 2013

Delivery Deadline : June 21, 2013
Fall 2013 Residency period : September 1 – November 30

Notification will be sent approximately 1 month after application deadline.

Spudnik Press seeks Keyholders
24-Hour Access for as little as $100/month

Keyholder access allows up to a dozen artists to have round the clock access to our sweet printmaking facilities. Keyholders are able to work at Spudnik Press almost round the clock! The studio is closed to keyholders during our peak class times (Tuesdays 6:30-9pm and Saturday 10-12:30pm) and the occasional weekday field trip. Otherwise, artists have free reign to utilize the whole studio, including general supplies.

Requirements:

Available to current members only.
Must be authorized to use the studio with no monitor.
We encourage using 3+ open studio sessions prior to becoming a keyholder
E-mail or call with specific questions! info@spudnikpress.org.

Rates:

The Printshop: $120 per calendar month; $300 for 3 consecutive months.
The Annex: $85 per calendar month; $200 for 3 consecutive months.
Printshop + Annex: $185 per calendar month; $450 for 3 consecutive months.

For questions and scheduling please email info@spudnikpress.com

Mail art has always fostered a sense of inclusion, experimentation, collaboration, communication between artists – as well as lots of jokes and silliness. In this workshop we will explore a brief history of mail art through making. Taking inspiration from artists such as Ray Johnson, Robert Filliou, Ben Porter, and Anna Banana we will make some mail-able art to be dropped in the mail box at the end of the day. Paper, a photocopier, rubber stamps, collage materials, drawing supplies, etc. will be available for use. This workshop is great for any makers looking for a fun new way to make work, connect with other artists, and disseminate their work through the postal system.

The Teaching Artist, Bailey Romaine, is a print based artist whose work pulls strongly from language, text, and collage practices. She earned her BFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2011, with a focus in printmedia and early modern literature and art history. Since then she has been learning to run an offset press, and working on a number of small press publications and related collaborations. She is the founder and co-editor of Scaffold, a journal for visual and text based works..

Student material list: None.
Prerequisites: None.
Authorizations: This workshop provides general Orientation to Spudnik Press.

Meets Thursday, 06/06/2013 from 6:30 – 9:00pm with Bailey Romaine | $10 suggested donation